Rudyard Kipling"
“When you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldier”
General Douglas MacArthur"
“We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”
“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.” “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .” “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
“Nobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
Will Malay architects be allowed to design churches, temples and hotels serving alcohol? By Prof Dr Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi
Wednesday, March 22, 2023
Focus Malaysia : IT seems that Malaysia is headed into the tempurung (coconut shell) world of extreme conservatism, and I wonder how far it will get.
I can understand the unity government and Pakatan Harapan (PH)-led
states taking a strict stand on religion-related issues like alcohol,
visiting churches, Bon Odori and the Mentega Terbang film
because the opposition comprising PAS and Bersatu have gone on a
populist and narrow-minded campaign of racialising religion as a vote
winner.
With a Malay population being the product of public schools and
public universities, this kind of narrative will suit well the simple
minds of the graduates as well as those who are T20 retirees.
So, as a professor of architecture, I need to pose several questions so that I can get my lecture notes right.
Can Muslim architects design churches?
First, will Malay architects be allowed to design houses of worship
other than mosques? For this, I called up a famous Malay architect and
asked him whether there is a rule about this in the professional
practice or ethic of Malaysian architects.
The Al-Bukhary mosque in Kedah named after corporate tycoon Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary
He said there was no such thing and in fact he had also designed a
church while working in Australia. I told him I would not mention his
name in my article because that might invite stupid comments from the
Malays in the social media and even a reprimand from a religious office.
Then I called up another architect who was definitely NOT a Malay or
Muslim and asked the same question. He, too, answered in the same way
and in fact, he had designed one of the mosques in Pahang. I also said I
would not put his name in my article.
I then remembered another Malay architect who designed one of the
most important mosques in Malaysia that had a unique never-before-seen
“dome” or roof. At that time, he said there was no local engineers who
could design the new structural system, hence he got a German engineer
to do it. I forgot to ask if the engineer was a Muslim.
It should be noted that in my research on traditional timber Malay
houses and traditional three-tiered roof mosques in Melaka, Negri
Sembilan and Penang, Chinese craftsmen were hired to build some of these
buildings.
My students never found out if these Chinese were Muslims or not. The
Blue Mosque in Turkey was once Hagia Sophia Church, pride of the
Christian empire.
Will there come a time when these ultra conservative Malay lawmakers
and religious officials proclaim that Malays must not design other
houses of worship and that a Malay contractor must also not build other
houses of worship as they can be deemed as perhaps “not halal”?
